Man shot by slain gunman Tristan Sherry in Blanchardstown steakhouse dies in hospital
Jason Hennessy Sr
The man who was shot by slain gunman Tristan Sherry on Christmas Eve has died in hospital.
Jason Hennessy Sr was pronounced dead in hospital today after he spent the past number of days in a critical condition on life support in ICU. Mr Hennessy Sr was blasted by Sherry as he dined with family and friends inside Browne’s steakhouse restaurant in Blanchardstown on Christmas Eve – but he was initially expected to survive.
However Hennessy’s condition worsened over the past week and he was eventually transferred to another hospital where he remained in a critical condition until today. Gardai are now bracing for further violence after Hennessy Sr’s death – and as preparations are being made for the funeral of the shooter who was tackled inside the restaraunt, shot with his own gun and stabbed over 30 times.
Hennessy Sr was well known to gardai and was facing trial on money laundering charges before he was blasted in the restaraunt. Now there are fears that his associates will want revenge for the brutal attack which has ultimately claimed his life.
It comes as a third man has been arrested over the murder of gunman Tristan Sherry. The man was arrested yesterday and is being held at a garda station in connection with Sherry’s murder. In a statement gardai said: “Gardaí arrested a male on the evening of Wednesday 3rd January 2024 as part of the investigation into the murder of Tristan Sherry that occurred at a premises on the Main Street in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 at approximately 8pm on Sunday, 24th December 2023.
“He is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at a Garda Station in West Dublin. This male is the third arrest made as part of this investigation.
“The second male arrested is still being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at a Garda station in West Dublin.” Both men have been arrested after another man – Michael Andrecut (22) was charged with the murder of Tristan Sherry.
Gardai are understood to be looking to speak to numerous people who were inside the restaurant when the shooting occurred in front of shocked families enjoying a Christmas Eve meal. We revealed that gardai believe as many as half a dozen men were involved in the sickening attack on Sherry — who went to the popular eatery to murder a number of men who were dining there at the time.
Sources have told us Sherry, who was regarded as a low level criminal with links to several gangs in west Dublin, went to target the rivals with an associate — but their plan quickly disintegrated. Sherry was armed with a machine gun, while his associate was brandishing a pistol when they stormed the packed restaurant.
But it was so full that Sherry and his pal struggled to pick out their targets — who were seated at a table at the back of the eatery. Sherry’s accomplice panicked and fled — just as one of their targets realised what was happening and moved to confront them. Sherry fired several shots at the target as he tackled him — and seriously injured him.
The gunman then tried to escape, but was tackled as he made a move to get out of a side door. It’s understood up to half a dozen men were involved in the ensuing attack — in which Sherry received a gunshot wound to the head as well as up to 30 stab wounds.
Shock video footage of the incident also show a bloodied Sherry on the floor as he is beaten with the leg of a chair. Gardai have secured high quality CCTV footage of the entire attack — and have identified the men they believe were involved in it.
That includes one Dublin man who is suspected of having delivered many of the knife wounds. Gardai are now investigating him and the other suspects for murdering Sherry.
The attack on Sherry lasted five minutes — during which time a man is believed to have left the restaurant with the gunman’s weapon. The machine gun had not been recovered by last night — and detectives were still searching for it.
Gruesome camera phone footage of a portion of the attack quickly emerged on social media — and has been viewed more than 100,000 times. Officers have already warned the public not to share the videos.
“An Garda Siochána is aware of videos of the incident and immediate aftermath which are in circulation on social media and messaging apps. We are appealing to the public for these videos not to be further distributed,” a garda spokesperson said.
Video of the attack on Sherry was still up on social media last night, but the GoFundMe page set up by Sherry’s mother Marey to help cover his funeral costs has been taken down. The family said they were devastated by his killing and launched an appeal for up to €7,000 online to help pay for his funeral on Tuesday. But the appeal was closed down a day later — after raising less than €700.
A spokeswoman for GoFundMe told us that Mrs Sherry took down the appeal. She said: “It’s been closed by the organiser.” Gardai have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
The investigation is being led by a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) and a Garda Family Liaison Officer (FLO) has been appointed to liaise with both families impacted in the botched assassination bid. Gardai have increased uniform patrols in the Dublin Region, with support from armed patrols, including the Garda Armed Support Unit.
A garda spokesman said: “At approximately 8pm on Sunday 24th December 2023, two gunmen entered a premises on Main Street in Blanchardstown and a number of shots were fired. The male in his 40s who was receiving treatment for gunshot wounds following this serious incident has been pronounced deceased at Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown.
“An Garda Siochana have now commenced a second murder investigation as part of their wider investigation into this incident, which is being conducted at an incident room in Blanchardstown Garda station led by a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO). One of the gunmen, a man in his 20s, was subsequently assaulted and later pronounced deceased at the scene. A murder investigation into that incident is in progress.
“Garda Family Liaison Officer (FLO) continue to liaise with both families regarding this investigation and local Gardai continue to receive assistance from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI). A post-mortem examination will be conducted in the coming days on the body of the deceased male by the State Pathologist.
“Gardai continue to appeal for any witnesses to these incidents or for any persons with video footage to come forward. Gardai continue to appeal to any person with any information on these incidents to contact the Garda investigation team.
“Anyone with any information is asked to contact Blanchardstown Garda Station on 01 666 7000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.”
For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.